ESPN ranked the last 21 national champions. Here’s how the Canes, Gators, Seminoles rank
ESPN ranked the 21 national champions over the past 20 years on Thursday. Yes, 21 as LSU and USC shared a national title in 2003.
Three of the five championships won by Florida schools were ranked in the top four.
ESPN’s top title team from the last 20 years was the 2005 Texas Longhorns. Vince Young was practically unstoppable in the 2006 Rose Bowl victory over USC for Texas.
The 2008 Florida Gators, 2001 Miami Hurricanes and 2013 Florida State Seminoles occupied the next three spots on ESPN’s rankings.
The Gators season was highlighted by quarterback Tim Tebow’s speech following a loss where he apologized for the team losing and promising to play harder than anyone else in the country going forward.
The Hurricanes were loaded with future NFL draft picks. Just look at who the Canes had at running back: Clinton Portis, Frank Gore and Willis McGahee, as ESPN stated.
The Seminoles featured lots of NFL talent, too, and had a redshirt freshman quarterback winning the Heisman Trophy in Jameis Winston.
Other years that Florida programs won national titles in the past 20 years and their ESPN ranking were the 1999 FSU team (No. 10 ranked) and 2006 UF team (No. 20).
The full list is as follows:
- 2005 Texas
- 2008 Florida
- 2001 Miami
- 2013 FSU
- 2004 USC
- 2011 Alabama
- 2012 Alabama
- 2015 Alabama
- 2009 Alabama
- 1999 FSU
- 2017 Alabama
- 2016 Clemson
- 2000 Oklahoma
- 2014 Ohio State
- 2010 Auburn
- 2003 USC
- 2003 LSU
- 1998 Tennessee
- 2007 LSU
- 2006 Florida
- 2002 Ohio State
Agree or disagree with the No. 1 ranked team?
Vote below:
Send Florida State, UCF and USF story tips to@Jason__Dill on Twitter.
This story was originally published July 26, 2018 at 4:45 PM.